National Family, Friend and Neighbor Appreciation Week
September 10-14 is National Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) Appreciation Week! Our partners at Home Grown have created a Toolkit to help you share your appreciation of FFN caregivers!
Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care Resources
As a child care provider, it’s important to build strong connections with those you serve, including the children in your care and their families. Our partners at Sesame Street in Communities have developed resources to help prepare children for daily transitions, and support positive communication with caregivers and providers.
Mighty Mushroom Info Sheet
Download this free info sheet on the power of mushrooms for your center or home.
Selecting and Storing Fresh Produce
Incorporating fresh produce into the food you serve can be a great practice, but it’s important that you know how to properly store different types of produce. Our partners at the International Food Information Council (IFIC) have tips on how to select and store fresh produce so they stay good longer and don’t go to waste.
Prepare for Emergencies
Our partners at Sesame Street in Communities have resources to help children and families cope with disasters and prepare for the unexpected. Their Emergencies topic page has videos, printable activities, and articles to support families after experiencing a natural disaster.
Keeping Food Safe in Summer Heat
Staying cool may be challenging during summer, especially when buying and transporting groceries. Keeping foods in safe temperatures also requires more attention in the summer. Our partners at ICN have great tips for keeping purchased foods safe between the store and your kitchen, whether in a center or home.
School Readiness: Learning Circles
Learning can happen anywhere, anytime with help from the adults in a child’s circle of care who keep them safe and well. Sesame Street in Communities’ new bilingual (English and Spanish) resources leverage the power of building social-emotional skills and healthy relationships.
National Berry Month
July is National Berry Month! Summer is a great time to serve delicious meals/snacks that include berries, while educating those in your care about healthy eating with fruit.
Build a Healthy Eating Routine
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans has a variety of online resources that professionals can use to help parents and caregivers start infants and children off with a healthy eating routine. MyPlate also has great tipsheets for parents and caregivers based on the life stage.
Serving Traditional Indigenous Foods
To support the use of traditional Indigenous foods in Child Nutrition Programs, FNS has created a new webpage as an organized hub of technical assistance resources and policy guidance. This new webpage, Serving Traditional Indigenous Foods in Child Nutrition Programs, houses relevant policy guidance and resources to assist CNP operators in determining how traditional Indigenous foods may contribute toward a reimbursable meal.